I realized about 5 days in that it was strange how I hadn't gotten any stupid "Question to Seller" emails yet, as I usually am deluged with questions about the items that if people would just take a second to actually read the listing, they would have the information they seek.
Hmmmm.
5 days in and no emails and nothing sold. So I go to my auction management site and see that I have ZERO hits on the pages.
Not a soul has actually clicked on one of my auction listings and looked at it.
Weird!
This prompts me to go to my Seller's page at eBay and check on my store.
I finally figure out why I have not sold anything, nor had anyone look at my stuff.
I never changed the vacation settings on my Store!
UGH!!
My listings aren't visible on eBay because of the settings.
Double UGH!!!!
Pretty dare bright, huh?lol
So I clicked off the vacation settings and make my listings go live on eBay.....and if I was worried about the lack of as Bugs Bunny would call them...."maroons", I should have feared not!
Here is what I got within 48 hours of the listings being visible to the eBay using public.
Ok...I sold TWO items without a hitch. This makes me happy!
But then there's.....
1.Someone emailed asking WHY the shipping was so high. When I figure the shipping I don't just pull a number out of my ass like some sellers do. You would be shocked at the number of eBay sellers(both now and again sellers and the fulltime pro sellers)who just set a price for shipping without much regard for the ACTUAL costs to them to ship an item they sell on eBay. Between that practice and the ever increasing fees on eBay(and their trained monkey Paypal), I wonder how anybody ever sells anything on there and makes a profit!(not counting people just getting rid of used items who have already realized the sunk costs on the item).
I measure & weigh everything I sell before listing it so I have the ACTUAL costs from the US Postal Service for shipping. Then I add a small 'handling' charge to cover insurance through a non US Postal company(much cheaper than the USPS),my time to pack & the materials to ship that I have to buy. My shipping price is as low as I can make it and NOT lose money.
I have decided that most people either have NO CLUE what current shipping costs are or are so used to either what they USE TO BE or so used to paying shipping costs from Sellers who regularly underestimate/under charge their customers just to get them to buy things.
My usual response to someone complaining about is professional and unemotional. I give them the dimensions, the weight and my zip code and direct them to the USPS website where they can input the item's information and see with their own eyes what it actually costs(just in the shipping fees, not to mention the insurance and materials used to ship) to mail their package from me to their location. This usually satisfies them and they either buy it or they slink away and I don't hear from them again.
I am just so tired of it that I soooo want to be a wise-ass some days and tell them to do us all a favor and please step off the planet. 8-P
2.Then there is the "can't wait" Buyer. They emailed me asking for a price on shipping to an international location, and they want 2 items shipped together and want to know the price, and they insist I ship a particular rate.
Before I can get the information for them and email back, they go ahead and buy the items 15 minutes later. Then they send me another email that they HAVE TO HAVE it shipped a certain rate(which it can't go because of weight and size restrictions), they insist on NOT paying insurance(which I INSIST on in the listing, especially on international packages). Oh, and they want it shipped to them.....in China.
So at this point I know the shipping is going to be alot more than they want to pay.
I go to the restrictions page on the USPS website for China to make sure this size/weight package can be shipped to there. That's fine but I see that the limit on value per package mailed to China is equivalent to $14.65US. What they bought is worth $90. It is highly likely that this package will either be sent back or be confiscated in Chinese customs since I'm not going to lie and say it's worth $14.65. Either way, having to refund this dope his payment and go through getting my fees partially refunded on eBay is not going to be pleasant. And if it's confiscated I am out the merchandise too.
3. This one takes the cake!
Email from a potential buyer about a HUGE set of Legos....Mega Bloks actually but the same thing really. It's a $100 set of Mega Bloks. He wants to buy 1 mini-figure out of this set and he wants to pay me $10 + shipping. While $10 for 1 little Lego man is not bad, this will destroy the value of the New/Unopened/Mint set of $100 Building Blocks if I remove this piece.
Soooo....I can sell the whole set for $100 or I can sell 1 piece of it for $10.
Hmmmmm.....what makes the most sense to you?lolol
Now I could limit my international sales to Canada, Australia and a few European countries that make up the bulk of my overseas business. That would cut down on the aggravation I guess.
I hate to stop selling overseas as that is how I built my business up....selling international when all the others on eBay refused to(and alot still do refuse to).
But then again, the last couple of postal increases(combined with the eBay fee/Paypal increases)pretty near killed off my overseas sales.
I don't know....I am conflicted......and after 2 days of eBay I am already tired of dealing with it.
Just taking this all to Salvation Army and getting a tax write-off is looking better and better.lolol
Sluggy
